Tools for railway traffic control

ABSTRACT

Tools (such as system, apparatus, methodology, etc.) may be provided to control traffic over a railway track section, and more particularly, when a railway worker is working on or near the track section. Move particularly, when traffic over the track section is to be blocked, a block is placed to prevent trains from traversing the track section. Further, a release code is generated and sent to an electronic contact address of the railway worker. Traffic through the track section is blocked until the release code is entered in a user terminal. The block is removed from the track section when the release code is received by the system.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.61/893,547, filed Oct. 21, 2013 and entitled “SYSTEM, APPARATUS ANDMETHOD FOR RAILWAY TRAFFIC CONTROL”.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to railway traffic control, and morespecifically, a system, apparatus, and method for railway trafficcontrol to address concerns for safety of railway workers working on ornear railroad tracks.

BACKGROUND

Railway transportation is run under strict operational guidelines orroles, in order to operate safely. Most of these guidelines are standardamongst commercial railway traffic. Examples of transport standardsinclude interlock signals, centralized traffic control (CTC), rule 251,etc.

Interlocking signals govern movement within a sector controlled by aninterlock. For example, on a specific track line, a track may be dividedinto sections of 400 to 2500 m, on each of which trains move at a speeddepending on an interlocking signal exhibited by an interlock at anentrance to the section. That is, the interlocking signal displays acolor system which instructs the conductor of the train, or the trainoperating by automated response, how to move through the upcomingsection of track. Interlocking systems usually incorporate a 3-colorsystem by which the train, or train conductor, is informed to proceed atregular speed, is informed to proceed at a reduced speed or isprohibited from proceeding through the upcoming section.

While interlocking systems can be operated manually, currently mostinterlocking systems are controlled electronically. One method ofcontrolling all of the interlocks within a rail system is through acentralized traffic control (CTC), or traffic control system (TCS). ACTC is used for monitoring, tracking and operating trains traversingtracks throughout a network. The CTC is controlled by a single personknown as a train dispatcher.

In order for the train dispatcher to make appropriate train controldecisions regarding how the train should be operated, variousinformation and data must be obtained and presented. Informationregarding track conditions, train traffic, scheduling, etc., arepresented on a control console which may include a map of the entirerail system controlled by the CTC. Through the control console, thedispatcher has control of each interlock signal (that is, the dispatchercontrols the train traffic and flow of train traffic using theinterlocks) and is constantly made aware of the positions of trains inthe railway system as such positions are electronically reported bysignals present throughout the railway system. In addition, in order toprovide for safe traffic control and avoid accidents or collisions,signals are provided throughout the track network, or interlocks.

The interlocks may be controlled from the CTC in any of variousdifferent ways, including, e.g., direct wiring, by pulse codes sent overa wire to distant locations, etc. In addition, interlocks can also becontrolled by a native mechanism detecting presence of a train on thetrack. That is, when a train occupies a certain section of track, theinterlock prevents other trains from proceeding onto the same

Further, there are additional safety systems on the train itself, suchas automatic train control (ATC). A common feature of many of suchautomated train control systems is the need for constant or nearlyconstant communications between onboard train control systems and anoffboard hub radio connected to control equipment located along thewayside or in a central office. In some systems, the offboard controlequipment generates movement authorities which authorize the train tomove in one or more sections of track. In some systems, the offboardequipment informs the onboard train control system of the presence ofother trains in the vicinity. In yet other systems, the offboardequipment provides information such as temporary speed restrictions andwork zone information to the onboard train control system. Such systemsprotect against a number of human errors on the part of the traindrivers, one of the basics of the system being that the train isprovided with a computer which receives traffic information, such asstop signals and speed limits, from a plurality of transmitters alongthe track. Thus, the computer may bring the train to a standstillregardless of what the train driver does when the train arrives at astop signal.

Even with all these safety features present in a railway system, railwayaccidents occur, with many being fatal. For example, one study reportedthat there were 39 roadway worker accidents that occurred betweenJanuary 1997 and the end of 2011, in which 41 roadway workers perishedwhile attending to tasks such as inspection, construction, maintenance,or repair of railroad track, bridges, roadway, signal and communicationsystems, electric traction systems, roadway facilities or roadwaymaintenance machinery on or near track, operating as flagmen orwatchmen/lookouts for other roadway workers, etc.

There remains a need for further safety measures to protect the lives ofrailway workers.

BRIEF SUMMARY

This disclosure provides tools (in the form of systems, apparatuses,methodologies, etc.) for enhancing railway traffic control, assupplemental measures directed to safety of railway workers.

For example, a centralized railway control system may be adapted (suchas via computer hardware, software, or a combination) to includeproviding on a user terminal a user interface including a block placingpart to place a block on one or more specified track sections to permita railway field worker to enter the track sections while blockingrailway traffic to said track sections, generating a removal code andtransmitting the removal code to the electronic contact address of therailway field worker, and permitting the block to the track sections tobe removed only upon entry of the removal code in the centralizedrailway control system. Such process may be largely automated viaprogramming such that upon placement, by the block placing part, of theblock of railway traffic to the specified track sections, the removalcode is automatically transmitted, by a code generation part, to theelectronic contact address of the railway field worker, and the block ofrailway traffic to the specified track sections remains in place in thecentralized railway control system until the entry of the removal codein the centralized railway control system to cause a block removal partto remove the block on said one or more track sections.

In another aspect, the adaptation may include a RTC user interface topermit a user (e.g., railway traffic controller (RTC) or traindispatcher) to specify a track section(s) to be blocked, specify aninstruction to the centralized railway control system to block therailway traffic to the specified track section(s), and specifyidentifying information of the railway field worker performing (or to beperforming) work in the specified track section(s).

In another aspect, the adaptation includes a block removal userinterface to permit a user to enter the removal code to cause the blockremoval part to remove the block on said one or more track sections.Such block removal user interface may be provided in any of variousways. For example, the block removal user interface may be providedwithin a mobile application or web page through which the railway fieldworker can enter the removal code manually or orally (i.e. including avoice or speech interface part). As another example, the removal codemay be embedded in a link in a message transmitted by email or messagingto the electronic contact address of the railway field worker, and therailway field worker can simply cause the removal code to be entered byactivating the link in the message received by the railway field worker.In another example, the block removal user interface may be provided onthe same user terminal on which the block placing part is disposed.Further, a voice or speech interface part may be disposed on thesystem-side to process a voice message (such as received via a telephonecall from terminal 103 of the railway field worker), extract the removalcode from the voice message, and enter the block removal code. In eachinstance, the block of railway traffic to the specified track sectionsremains in place in the centralized railway control system until theentry of the removal code through the block removal user interface.Further, entry of the removal code may also require entry ofidentification of the user entering the removal code, and removal of theblock may also require not only the removal code but also confirmationthat the user entering the removal code is authorized to remove theblock. The block removal user interface may further require, in additionto entry of the removal code, the user to specify that confirmation thatthe track sections have been cleared has been obtained from the railwayfield worker associated with the block, before the block removal userinterface permits the removal code to be transmitted to the blockremoval part.

In another aspect, the system may include a railway control databaseregistering block identifying information, including block limitsidentifying the one or more blocked track sections, along with theremoval code for removing the block of the track sections. Further, therailway control database may register additional information, such asidentification of the user who specified the instruction to block thetrack sections, notes specifying reasons for the block, date and time atwhich the block was placed, etc. The railway control database mayfurther register block removal information identifying date and time atwhich the block was removed and identifying the user who entered theremoval code and who specified that confirmation that the track sectionshave been cleared was obtained from the railway field worker associatedwith the block.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The aforementioned and other aspects, features and advantages can bemore readily understood from the following detailed description withreference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1A shows a block diagram illustrating a railway control system, inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 1B shows a block diagram illustrating a railway control system, inaccordance with another exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a computer configured by programexecution to be or to include a railway traffic control apparatus, inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 3A shows a block diagram of an exemplary configuration of aterminal;

FIG. 3B shows a block diagram of an exemplary configuration of acomputing device;

FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram illustrating communication flow in thesystem shown in FIG. 1A or in the system shown in FIG. 1B;

FIG. 5 shows an example of a graphical portrayal of a railway network;

FIGS. 6-9 show examples of a user interface display, in accordance withan exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 10 shows an example of a user interface display that may beprovided on the field worker side for triggering block removal;

FIG. 11 shows another example of a user interface display;

FIG. 12 shows a flow chart illustrating a block placement method, inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 13 shows a flow chart illustrating a block removal method, inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This patent specification describes tools (in the form of methods,apparatuses and systems) that controls train traffic within a railwaysystem using, but not limited to, standardized rules or timetablesdescribed in the Background section of this specification.

In describing exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings,specific terminology is employed for the sake of clarity. However, thesubject matter of this patent specification is not intended to belimited to the specific terminology so selected and it is to beunderstood that each specific element includes all technical equivalentsthat operate in a similar manner.

The drawings show examples of implementations of the subject matter ofthis patent disclosure in several computing environments. However, itshould be understood that the subject matter of this disclosure can beutilized by any computing device including but not limited to PDAs(personal digital assistants), cell phones, personal, notebook andworkstation computers, kiosks, other information terminals, WIC (oranother) pager, etc. In addition, the subject matter of this disclosuremight be provided as services in a modular fashion by other devicesconnected by a communication network.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designateidentical or corresponding parts throughout the several views, there isdescribed tools (systems, apparatuses, methodologies, computer programproducts, etc.) that can be integrated in a railway traffic controlsystem.

FIG. 1A shows schematically an exemplary embodiment in which a system100A includes a railway traffic control terminal apparatus 105, railpersonnel data 104 and a terminal 103, each connected to the network102. FIG. 1B shows schematically another exemplary embodiment, in whichrail personnel contact data 104 is accessed directly by the railwaytraffic control apparatus 105. While only one terminal is connected tothe network 102 in the example shown in FIG. 1A as well as in theexample shown in FIG. 1B, it should be appreciated that the networkenvironment can have an arbitrary number of devices (of various types).

The network 102 can be any data network, a local area network, a widearea network or any type of network such as an intranet, an extranet(for example, to provide controlled access to external users, forexample through the Internet), a private or public cloud network, theInternet, etc., or a combination thereof. Further, other communicationslinks (such as a virtual private network, a wireless link, etc.) may beused as well for the network 102. In addition, the network 102preferably uses TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/InternetProtocol), but other protocols such as SNMP (Simple Network ManagementProtocol) and HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) can also be used. Howdevices can connect to and communicate over networks is well-known inthe art and is discussed for example, in “How Networks Work”, by FrankJ. Derfler, Jr. and Les Freed (Que Corporation 2000) and “How ComputersWork”, by Ron White, (Que Corporation 1999), the entire contents of eachof which are incorporated herein by reference.

The rail personnel 104 is a database that can be either connected to orinside the railway traffic control terminal apparatus 105. The railpersonnel contact data 104 stores information regarding the maintenanceworkers used for traveling, inspecting and working on blocked rails. Forexample, the information stored can include the name of the maintenanceworker, primary contact, secondary contact, previous assignment, currentassignment, etc., as shown via user interface display in FIG. 11.

FIG. 2 shows a terminal 100A computer 200A which is configured (such asvia one or more programs of instructions executable by a processor of acomputer or another electronic device) with) to be a railway trafficblocking apparatus 101 to include 105 including a block placer 101A, acode generator 101B, a block remover 101C and a user interface 101D. Theterminal 100A computer 200A can be any electronic device including aprocessor, storage and display, such as shown by way of examples inFIGS. 3A and 3B.

The railway traffic blocking apparatus is programmed to control thetraffic of an entire railway network. The block placer 101A isconfigured to stop traffic within a certain length of rail line. Thatis, once a block is placed, no train can traverse the blocked section ofrail. For example, in the case of a railway controlled by multipleinterlocks, the block placer 101A causes those interlocks to output aSTOP signal, therefore, stopping any train traffic within the railscontrolled by that interlock. By doing this, maintenance workers andrailway personnel can travel, inspect and work on the rails without thedanger of oncoming train traffic. Trains that are scheduled to traversesaid blocked tracks either come to a complete stop, electronically ormechanically, before passing the interlock or are rerouted using tracksthat are not in a blocked state. However, this disclosure is not limitedto a railway traffic control system implementing interlocks. This systemcan be implemented on any configuration in which there is control of thetraffic of a railway system.

The code generator 101B is configured to produce a removal or releasecode, such as a cipher which is random, pseudo-random, secret, etc., andstored on the terminal computer. A new random cipher may be generatedfor each instance of traffic blocking. This removal or release code isthen sent to another terminal terminals belonging to the railwaypersonnel who are scheduled to travel, inspect or work on the specificrails being blocked.

The block remover 101C is programmed to remove the previous block, orplurality of blocks set by the block placer 101A. The block remover 101Cis dependent on the code produced by the code generator 101B. Asdescribed in detail below, a block cannot be removed without the inputof the removal or release code.

The user interface 101D is configured preferably for the ease of use forthe railway traffic controller (RTC). As shown by way of examples inFIGS. 6-9 and 11, the user interface 101D displays information and toolsneeded to enable/disable blocks on rail sections.

The user interface 101D may be a mobile application, a web page or someother software component, on a terminal computer (such as a mobiledevice). Such terminal device preferably is configured to communicatethrough a computer or data network to obtain content and data from anexternal source. However, it should be appreciated that the inventiveaspects described herein can be employed even if the mobile device isnot configured to connect to a data network, and/or is not connected toa data network.

An example of a configuration of a user terminal (e.g., the terminal103) or computer is shown schematically in FIG. 3A. In the example ofFIG. 3A, terminal device 200 includes a controller (or processor) 202that communicates with a number of other components, including storage203, display 204, input/output (such as mouse, touchpad, stylus,microphone and/or speaker with voice/speech interface and/or recognitionsoftware, etc.) 205 and a network interface 206, by way of an internalbus 201.

The storage 203 can provide storage for program and data, and mayinclude a combination of assorted conventional storage devices such asbuffers, registers and memories [for example, read-only memory (ROM),programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), electrically erasablePROM (EEPROM), static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random accessmemory (DRAM), non-volatile random access memory (NOVRAM), etc.].

The network interface 206 provides a connection (for example, by way ofan Ethernet connection or other network connection which supports anydesired network protocol such as, but not limited to TCP/IP, IPX(Internetwork Packet Exchange), IPX/SPX (Internetwork PacketExchange/Sequenced Packet Exchange), or NetBEUI (NetBIOS Extended UserInterface)) to a network (e.g., network 102) to enable the terminaldevice to communicate with another device through the network.

FIG. 3B shows an exemplary constitution of a computer 300 which can beconfigured by appropriate programming to operate as the railway trafficcontrol apparatus 105 (FIG. 1A). The computer 300 shown in FIG. 3Bincludes a processor 302, and various elements connected to theprocessor 302 by an internal bus 301, such as a memory 303, display 304,keyboard 305 and network interface 306. The processor 302 processesincoming requests transmitted through the network interface 306. Thenetwork interface 306 enables the railway traffic control terminal tocommunicate with other network-connected devices such as a terminal(e.g., the terminal 103 of FIG. 1A or FIG. 1B) and receive data orservice requests.

Each of the terminal 103, rail personnel database 104 and railwaytraffic control apparatus 105 can be configured to communicate with eachother through the network 102. The railway traffic control terminalapparatus 105 can be configured to request data from the rail personnelcontact data 104 through the network 102, as shown in FIG. 4. When therailway traffic control apparatus 105 initiates a block on a tracksection, the railway traffic control apparatus 105 may also designate aworker in associate with the block on the track section. With thisinformation, the railway traffic control apparatus 105 requests thespecific personnel data pertaining to the designated worker. The railpersonnel contact data retrieves the requested personnel data and sendsit to the railway traffic control apparatus 105. By receiving this data,the railway traffic control apparatus 105 may then generate a releasecode and save it to an internal storage.

The release code is then sent to the terminal 102 103. This terminal 102103 is the contact associated with the designated worker, and theelectronic address of this terminal is found within the personnel datareceived from the rail personnel contact data 104. By this system, onlythe railway traffic control apparatus 105 and terminal 102 103 receivethe release code generated by the railway traffic control apparatus 105.

Additionally, FIG. 4 shows the communication between the terminal 102103 and the railway traffic control apparatus 105 in the event that ablock on a certain track is to be lifted. In order for a block on acertain track to be lifted, the release code has to be input into therailway traffic control apparatus. The terminal 102 103 sends therelease code to the railway traffic control apparatus 105. The releasecode is then input into the block remover 101C. After which, the blockis removed and traffic to that section of rail is then allowed.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a railway network 500. Labeled areinterlocks A-F which control sections of railway of the railway network500. For example, the rail traffic controller (RTC) might choose toblock the section of rail corresponding to the track between interlock Aand interlock B. This way, train traffic between those two interlocks inprohibited. The railway network is present on screen of the railwaytraffic control terminal apparatus 105 at all times for the convenienceof the rail traffic controller. By being on screen at all times, therail traffic controller knows the status of certain sections of rail inreal time.

As shown in the example illustrated in FIG. 5, the railway betweeninterlocks A and B, and interlocks C, D and E is blocked. Train trafficis prohibited between these sections and shown to the railway trafficcontroller on screen. As further explained below, the railway trafficcontroller can lift the blocks on these sections of track if the releasecode is input into the railway traffic control terminal apparatus 105.

FIG. 6 is an exemplary illustration of the user interface of the railwaytraffic control terminal apparatus 105. The railway traffic controller(RTC) may place blocks on any section of traffic using this userinterface. In this exemplary embodiment, the train traffic controllerinputs authority, worker and block limits. This information correspondsto the train traffic controller username, maintenance worker designatedto work on the specific blocked track and the sections of track beingblocked, respectively. In addition, the railway traffic control terminalapparatus 105 then timestamps the order once the block is placed.

Once the block is put into place, the corresponding section on therailway network 500 displays the section of track being blocked. Inaddition, the railway traffic control terminal apparatus 105 generates arelease code, stores the release code, and sends the code to themaintenance worker designated for track work, i.e. maintenance worker12. As shown in FIG. 6, the railway traffic controller may place blockson track sections but may not remove the track blocks without the inputof the release code in the allotted area labeled release code. FIG. 6shows that the remove action is dashed out, meaning it cannot beselected (unless a release code is first entered). In the exampleillustrated in FIG. 6, it is shown that only one worker, maintenanceworker 12 is designated to work on track Section A to Section B.However, as shown in later embodiments, the train traffic controller isnot limited to the amount of maintenance workers designated for anytrack section. In addition, the train traffic controller may apply ablock to any number of additional track sections.

The blocks are then tabulated by the railway traffic control apparatus105 as depicted in FIG. 7. The table in FIG. 7 lists all the blocks thatare in place and in addition lists blocks that were previously set. Theinformation that can be found in this table includes, but is not limitedto, the type of work being done on the track sections, when the blockwas placed, who is designated to work on the sections of track, whoplaced the block, when was the block removed and who removed the block.

Additional information can be accessed though this table by highlightinga cell of the table and selecting info, as shown in FIG. 7. For example,by highlighting the cell labeled maintenance worker 12 and selectinginfo, the train traffic controller may access the bio of the maintenanceworker 12, as shown in detail below. The train traffic controller mayalso highlight a different cell, such as the limits cell label “Sec.A-Sec. B”. By selecting this cell and selecting the info command, thepast history of maintenance work and operation of the section(s) may bedisplayed to the train traffic controller.

FIG. 8 shows the user interface of the railway traffic control terminalapparatus 105 as the railway traffic controller inputs the release codeto remove the block on certain track sections. In the exemplaryembodiment of FIG. 8, the remove option is now able to be selected withthe input of the release code provided by the designated worker assignedfor track work, maintenance worker 12.

Without the input of the release code, the remove option is notavailable to be selected. In a different embodiment, the release codemay be obtained from the storage of the railway traffic control terminalapparatus 105.

In the case where there are multiple maintenance workers assigned to acertain track section, there may be provided one release code to one,multiple or all of the maintenance workers assigned. That is, The traintraffic controller may input that the release code be specified to onemaintenance worker, preferably a supervisor or foreman, to multiplemaintenance workers or to all of the maintenance workers assigned towork on a given track section. Also, in another embodiment, in a casewhere there are multiple workers assigned for a certain track section,there may be provided multiple unique release codes which would then allbe required to be input into the train traffic control terminalapparatus 105 by the train traffic controller in order to be able toremove blocks on certain track sections.

In another embodiment, the train traffic controller may be asked toverify that a railway section is cleared before receiving the option toremove a train block. As shown in FIG. 9, the user interface displayedby the railway traffic control terminal apparatus 105 does not allow aremoval of a block until the option corresponding to “Railway SectionCleared” is checked. This option allows for a further protection of themaintenance workers assigned to the block track sections.

FIG. 10 shows an exemplary illustration of a message sent by the railwaytraffic control terminal apparatus 105 to a terminal 103 at acorresponding address of a maintenance worker assigned to work on ablocked track. The message is meant to deliver the release code to themaintenance worker assigned to work on a blocked track. In addition torelaying the code, the message may include, but not limited to,information regarding the section of track that is being blocked, thedate and time that the track was blocked, who initiated the track block,and links to quickly respond to the message. By selecting one of thelinks embedded in the message, the terminal 103 sends the release codeto the railway traffic control terminal apparatus 105. The code can betransmitted through, but not limited to, text message, e-mail or voicemessage. In the present embodiment being illustrated, the terminal 103is depicted as a mobile phone. The terminal 103 could be anycommunication device such as, but not limited to, mobile phone orsmartphone, tablet, WIC (or another) pager, PDA, etc.

In another embodiment, once the rail traffic controller unblocks asection of track, the railway traffic control terminal apparatus 105 maysend a message to the worker, or plurality of workers, associated withworking on the previously blocked track in order to inform them that thetrack has been unblocked and is no longer a safe environment to work in.

FIG. 11 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a profile of a maintenanceworker. This profile may be accessed directly by highlighting thecorresponding maintenance worker cell in the table depicted in FIG. 7and selecting the info tab. This command brings up the profile and themaintenance worker and displays information regarding the workerincluding, but not limited to, the name, age, primary contact, secondarycontact, e-mail, last assignment and current assignment of themaintenance worker. Additionally in this screen, the railway trafficcontroller may contact the maintenance worker directly using one of theplurality of addresses provided.

Next, the method of placing a block on a track section will be describedwith reference to FIG. 12. In S1201, the rail traffic controller selectsthe sections to be blocked using the railway traffic control terminalapparatus 105. Once the block limits are designated and sent, therailway traffic control terminal apparatus 105 established officeestablishes interlocking immediately in S1202. That is, the railwaytraffic control terminal apparatus 105 immediately sends a signal to thecorresponding interlocks corresponding to the section of trackdesignated to be blocked. Additionally, the railway traffic controlterminal apparatus 105 generates and saves a random secret code inS1203.

After a request to block a certain section of track is sent, the railwaytraffic control terminal apparatus 105 checks if there is one or more ofthe sections currently has a block placed, as shown in S1204. If one ormore of the designated sections does not have a block placed, then therailway traffic control terminal apparatus 105 opens a user interfacefor the railway traffic controller to designate a type of block to setand a maintenance worker for the blocked section in S1206. If therailway traffic control terminal sees that a block is already in effect(S1205), then the railway traffic control terminal apparatus 105 allowsthe railway traffic controller to change the existing block type andmaintenance worker using the same interface. The interface is thenopened in S1206.

The railway traffic controller then inputs the type of block and assignsa worker to work on the blocked section. The railway traffic controlleralso has the option to block the track for purposes of an emergency andnot necessarily for maintenance work in S1207. Once the railway trafficcontroller assigns a block type and/or a corresponding maintenanceworker, the railway traffic control terminal apparatus 105 checks thestatus of the selected block in S1208. If the current selected sectionhas an existing block, the railway traffic control terminal apparatus105 waits for a response from the interlocks of the correspondingsection to send an indication that a new block can be established inS1209. Once this indication is received in S1210, the railway trafficcontrol terminal apparatus 105 enables the place button of the userinterface (S1211). If the selected section has no previous active block,the railway traffic control terminal apparatus 105 immediately enablesthe place button on the user interface.

Once the place button is selected, the railway traffic control terminalapparatus 105 generates a place time and enables safety measures so thatthe block cannot be removed without the input of the secret codegenerated (S1212). Finally, the railway traffic control terminalapparatus 105 sends the secret removal code to the corresponding one ormore maintenance workers (S1213) if the railway traffic controller hasselected maintenance workers for the given block.

FIG. 13 describes a method for removing a block placed on a section oftrack. In S1301, the railway traffic controller selects an existingblock by using either the network rail map, shown in FIG. 5, the removetool, shown in FIGS. 6, 8 and 9, or the summary table, shown in FIG. 7.The remove button is disabled without the input of the secret code fromeither the maintenance worker or the railway traffic control terminalapparatus 105 (S1302). In S1304, the railway traffic control terminalapparatus 105 checks if there is a maintenance worker that is eligibleto transmit the random secret code. If there is an eligible maintenanceworker available (S1304, YES), the maintenance worker transmits therandom secret code to the railway traffic control center apparatus 105(S1305). If there is no maintenance worker available to transmit therandom secret code (S1304, NO), the code can be retrieved from the traintraffic control terminal apparatus 105 by the train traffic controller(S1306).

Once the secret code is received, the secret code may be input to thedesignated field in S1308. The railway traffic control terminalapparatus 105 checks the secret code with the code saved in its memoryin S1309. If the code is incorrect, (S1309, NO), the railway trafficcontrol terminal apparatus 105 will prompt the user to input the codeagain (S1308). If the code is correct (S1309, YES), the railway trafficcontrol terminal apparatus 105 will prompt the user to enter informationinto any remaining fields in S1310. In S1311, the railway trafficcontrol terminal apparatus 105 checks that all information input intoall fields is correct and that all fields are filled in. After thischeck is performed by the railway traffic control terminal apparatus105, the remove button is enabled on the form (S1312) and the railwaytraffic controller may remove the block on the corresponding tracksection.

The aforementioned specific embodiments are illustrative, and manyvariations can be introduced on these embodiments without departing fromthe spirit of the disclosure or from the scope of the appended claims.For example, elements and/or features of different examples andillustrative embodiments may be combined with each other and/orsubstituted for each other within the scope of this disclosure andappended claims.

The orders in which the steps are performed in the aforementionedmethods are not limited to those shown in the examples of FIGS. 12 and13, and may be switched as long as similar results are achieved. Also,it should be noted that the methods illustrated in the examples of FIGS.12 and 13 may be implemented using any of the embodiments shown in FIGS.1A-1B.

Further, conventional systems can be modified to include the aspectsdescribed herein. As an example, a means may be added to a conventionalinterlock system by which the railway worker has partial control of theinterlock system at the times that maintenance work is needed on acertain train block. In such modification, a system, apparatus and/ormethod may be provided to control the interlocks in a railway system asan interface between the railway workers and the interlock control.Thus, in a case in which maintenance is to be performed on a certainrail block, which is controlled by an interlock, the interlock can beconfigured to send out a stop signal for all incoming trains, to blocktrain traffic to such portion of the rail system. In addition, once theinterlock is placed in a “stop traffic” state, a release code istransmitted to an electronic contact address corresponding to therailway worker.

Once a block has been placed, the interlock remains in a blocked state,until the maintenance worker supplies the release code, which wasreceived at the time the interlock started, and the release code isentered in the interlock control system. So long as the block is inplace, the maintenance worker can perform on-track work, withoutinterference of oncoming train traffic. After the maintenance workerfinishes the assigned work and is clear of the train tracks, he/she maythen supply the interlock control system with the release code, and theinterlock control system in turn can release the interlock over theblock.

Accordingly, the railway worker has more control over the trafficthrough the rail block in which the worker is working, and fatalon-track accidents can be reduced.

Additional variations may be apparent to one of ordinary skill in theart from reading U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/893,547, filed Oct.21, 2013 and entitled “SYSTEM, APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR RAILWAY TRAFFICCONTROL”, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein byreference.

What is claimed is:
 1. A centralized railway control system comprising:a rail personnel contact database registering, for each railwaypersonnel, an electronic contact address of the railway personnel; and arailway traffic control apparatus configured for centralized control oftraffic of a centrally controllable railway network including pluralrailways and a plurality of railway traffic interlocks dispersed in saidplural railways constituting said railway network, for controllingaccess to railway tracks, said railway traffic control apparatuscomprising a processor, a non-transitory medium storing one or moreprograms of executable instructions, and a network interface throughwhich the railway traffic control apparatus communicates via a networkwith a user terminal, wherein execution of said one or more programs ofexecutable instructions configures the railway traffic control apparatuscomprising the processor to include: a block placing part to place ablock on one or more specified track sections in any of said pluralrailways constituting said railway network that is managed bycentralized control operation from the railway traffic controlapparatus, the railway traffic control apparatus controlling, by saidcentralized control operation, one or more interlocks amongst theplurality of railway traffic interlocks dispersed in said pluralrailways constituting said railway network, to block railway traffic tothe specified track sections and thereby to permit a railway fieldworker to enter the track sections while blocking railway traffic tosaid track sections; a code generation part to generate a removal code,retrieve the electronic contact address of the railway field worker fromthe rail personnel contact database, and transmit the removal code tothe electronic contact address of the railway field worker; and a blockremoval part to remove only upon entry of the removal code by saidcentralized control operation from the railway control apparatus, theblock placed by the block placing part on said one or more tracksections.
 2. The centralized railway control system of claim 1, whereinthe railway traffic control apparatus further comprises: a RTC railwaytraffic controller (RTC) user interface to permit a user to specify saidone or more track sections to be blocked, specify an instruction to thecentralized railway control system to block the railway traffic to thespecified track sections, and specify identifying information of therailway field worker to be performing work in the specified tracksections.
 3. The centralized railway control system of claim 1, furthercomprising: a railway control database registering block identifyinginformation, including block limits identifying the one or more blockedtrack sections, along with the removal code for removing the block ofthe track sections.
 4. The centralized railway control system of claim1, further comprising: a railway control database registering (a)identification of the user who specified the instruction to block thetrack sections and (b) block identifying information, including blocklimits identifying the one or more blocked track sections, notesspecifying reasons for the block, and date and time at which the blockwas placed.
 5. The centralized railway control system of claim 1,wherein upon placement by the block placing part of the block of railwaytraffic to said one or more specified track sections, the codegeneration part transmits the removal code to the electronic contactaddress of the railway field worker, and the block of railway traffic tosaid one or more specified track sections remains in place in thecentralized railway control system until the entry of the removal codein the centralized railway control system to cause the block removalpart to remove the block on said one or more track sections.
 6. Thecentralized railway control system of claim 1, wherein the railwaytraffic control apparatus further comprises: a block removal userinterface to permit a user to enter the removal code to cause the blockremoval part to remove the block on said one or more track sections,wherein the block of railway traffic to said one or more specified tracksections remains in place in the centralized railway control systemuntil the entry of the removal code through the block removal userinterface.
 7. The centralized railway control system of claim 6, whereinthe block removal user interface further requires, in addition to theentry of the removal code, the user to specify that confirmation thatthe track sections have been cleared has been obtained from the railwayfield worker associated with the block, before the block removal userinterface permits the removal code to be transmitted to the blockremoval pail, and the centralized railway control system furthercomprises a railway control database registering (a) block identifyinginformation identifying the one or more blocked track sections, date andtime at which the block was placed and identifying information therailway field worker associated with the block, and (b) block removalinformation identifying date and time at which the block was removed andidentifying the user who entered the removal code and specified thatconfirmation that the track sections have been cleared was obtained fromthe railway field worker associated with the block.
 8. The centralizedrailway control system of claim 1, further comprising: a voiceprocessing part configured to receive a voice message and extract theremoval code from the voice message.
 9. The centralized railway controlsystem of claim 1, wherein the code generation part transmits anelectronic message to the electronic contact address of the railwayfield worker, and the electronic message transmitted to the electroniccontact address of the railway field worker includes the removal codeand includes an embedded link for activating a return transmission ofthe removal code to the block removal part of the centralized railwaycontrol system.
 10. A railway traffic control apparatus configured forcentralized control of traffic of a centrally controllable railwaynetwork including plural railways and a plurality of railway trafficinterlocks dispersed in said plural railways constituting said railwaynetwork, for controlling access to railway tracks, said railway trafficcontrol apparatus comprising: a block placing part to place a block onone or more selected specified track sections in any of said pluralrailways constituting said railway network that is managed bycentralized control operation from the railway traffic controlapparatus, the railway traffic control apparatus controlling, by saidcentralized control operation, one or more interlocks amongst theplurality of railway traffic interlocks dispersed in said pluralrailways constituting said railway network, to block railway traffic tothe specified track sections and thereby to permit a railway fieldworker to enter the track sections while blocking railway traffic tosaid track sections; a code generation part to generate a removal code,determine an electronic contact address of the railway field worker byaccessing a rail personnel contact database registering, for eachrailway personnel, electronic contact information of the railwaypersonnel, and transmit the removal code to the electronic contactaddress of the railway field worker; and a block removal part to removeonly upon entry of the removal code by said centralized controloperation from the railway traffic control apparatus, the block placedby the block placing part on said one or more track sections for therailway field worker.
 11. The railway traffic control apparatus of claim10, further comprising: a RTC railway traffic controller (RTC) userinterface to permit a user to specify said one or more track sections tobe blocked, specify an instruction to the centralized railway trafficcontrol system apparatus to block the railway traffic to the specifiedtrack sections, and specify identifying information of the railway fieldworker to be performing work in the specified track sections.
 12. Therailway traffic control apparatus of claim 10, wherein block identifyinginformation, including block limits identifying the one or more blockedtrack sections, is registered in a railway control database, along withthe removal code for removing the block of the track sections.
 13. Therailway traffic control apparatus of claim 10, wherein block identifyinginformation, including block limits identifying the one or more blockedtrack sections, notes specifying reasons for the block, and date andtime at which the block was placed, are registered in a railway controldatabase, along with identification of the user who specified theinstruction to block the track sections.
 14. The railway traffic controlapparatus of claim 10, wherein upon placement by the block placing partof the block of railway traffic to said one or more specified tracksections, the code generation code part transmits the removal code tothe electronic contact address of the railway field worker, and theblock of railway traffic to said one or more specified track sectionsremains in place in the centralized railway traffic control systemapparatus until the entry of the removal code in the centralized railwaytraffic control system apparatus to cause the block removal part toremove the block on said one or more track sections.
 15. The railwaytraffic control apparatus of claim 10, further comprising: a blockremoval user interface to permit a user to enter the removal code tocause the block removal part to remove the block on said one or morespecified track sections, wherein the block of railway traffic to saidone or more specified track sections remains in place in the centralizedrailway traffic control system apparatus until the entry of the removalcode through the block removal user interface.
 16. The railway trafficcontrol apparatus of claim 15, wherein the block removal user interfacefurther requires, in addition to the entry of the removal code, the userto specify that confirmation that the track sections have been clearedhas been obtained from the railway field worker associated with theblock, before the block removal user interface permits the removal codeto be transmitted to the block removal part, and block identifyinginformation identifying the one or more blocked track sections, date andtime at which the block was placed and identifying information therailway field worker associated with the block is registered in arailway control database, along with block removal informationidentifying date and time at which the block was removed and identifyingthe user who entered the removal code and specified that confirmationthat the track sections have been cleared was obtained from the railwayfield worker associated with the block.
 17. The railway traffic controlapparatus of claim 10, further comprising: a voice processing partconfigured to receive a voice message and extract the removal code fromthe voice message.
 18. The railway traffic control apparatus of claim10, wherein the code generation part transmits an electronic message tothe electronic contact address of the railway field worker, and theelectronic message transmitted to the electronic contact address of therailway field worker includes the removal code and includes an embeddedlink for activating a return transmission of the removal code to theblock removal part of the centralized railway traffic control systemapparatus.
 19. A method for controlling railway access using a railwaytraffic control apparatus of a centralized railway control system tocontrol access to railway tracks configured for centralized control oftraffic of a centrally controllable railway network including pluralrailways and a plurality of railway traffic interlocks dispersed in saidplural railways constituting said railway network, the methodcomprising: providing a user interface on a user terminal of the railwaytraffic control apparatus, including a block placing part to place ablock on one or more specified track sections in any of said pluralrailways constituting said railway network that is managed bycentralized control operation from the railway traffic controlapparatus, the railway traffic control apparatus controlling, by saidcentralized control operation, one or more interlocks amongst theplurality of railway traffic interlocks dispersed in said pluralrailways constituting said railway network, to block railway traffic tothe specified track sections and thereby to permit a railway fieldworker to enter the track sections while blocking railway traffic tosaid track sections; generating a removal code, determining anelectronic contact address of the railway field worker by accessing arail personnel contact database registering, for each railway personnel,electronic contact information of the railway personnel, andtransmitting the removal code to the electronic contact address of therailway field worker; and permitting the block to said one or more tracksections to be removed only upon entry of the removal code in thecentralized railway control system by said centralized control operationfrom the railway traffic control apparatus.
 20. A railway trafficcontrol apparatus configured for centralized control of traffic of acentrally controllable railway network including plural railways and aplurality of railway traffic interlocks dispersed in said pluralrailways constituting said railway network, the railway traffic controlapparatus comprising a processor and configured to: place a block on oneor more sections of railway track in any of said plural railwaysconstituting said railway network that is managed by centralized controloperation from the railway traffic control apparatus, the railwaytraffic control apparatus controlling, by said centralized controloperation, one or more interlocks amongst the plurality of railwaytraffic interlocks dispersed in said plural railways constituting saidrailway network, to prevent trains from traversing the one or moresections of railway track; generate a secret release code associatedwith the blocked one or more sections of railway track; transmit thesecret release code to a user terminal via a network; receive the secretrelease code via the network; and responsive to receiving the secretrelease code from the terminal, remove the block from the one or moresections of railway track.
 21. The railway traffic control apparatus ofclaim 20, wherein the block is placed via an interlocking signalprohibiting trains from traversing the one or more sections of railwaytrack.
 22. The railway traffic control apparatus of claim 20, whereinthe railway traffic control apparatus is configured to place the blockby causing one or more of the plurality of railway traffic interlocks todisplay a STOP signal.
 23. The railway traffic control apparatus ofclaim 20, wherein only the railway traffic control apparatus and theuser terminal receive the secret release code generated by the railwaytraffic control apparatus.
 24. The railway traffic control apparatus ofclaim 20, wherein the railway traffic control apparatus is furtherconfigured to: store the secret release code in a memory of the railwaytraffic control apparatus.
 25. The railway traffic control apparatus ofclaim 20, wherein the railway traffic control apparatus is furtherconfigured to: generate and store block removal information in responseto removing the block from the one or more sections of railway track.26. The railway traffic control apparatus of claim 25, wherein the blockremoval information comprises a date and time when the block was removedand identification information of a user who entered the secret removalcode.
 27. The railway traffic control apparatus of claim 20, wherein therailway traffic control apparatus is configured to transmit the secretrelease code to the user terminal by transmitting a message to the userterminal, the message comprising one or more embedded links.
 28. Therailway traffic control apparatus of claim 27, wherein the railwaytraffic control apparatus is configured to receive the secret releasecode transmitted via the network in response to selection of at leastone of the one or more embedded links in the message, on the userterminal.
 29. The railway traffic control apparatus of claim 27, whereinthe message comprises a text message or an email.
 30. A method forcontrolling railway access using a railway traffic control apparatusconfigured for centralized control of traffic of a centrallycontrollable railway network including plural railways and a pluralityof railway traffic interlocks dispersed in said plural railwaysconstituting said railway network, the method comprising: placing ablock on one or more sections of railway track in any of said pluralrailways constituting said railway network that is managed bycentralized control operation from the railway traffic controlapparatus, the railway traffic control apparatus controlling, by saidcentralized control operation, one or more interlocks amongst theplurality of railway traffic interlocks dispersed in said pluralrailways constituting said railway network, to prevent trains fromtraversing the one or more sections of railway track; generating asecret release code associated with the blocked one or more sections ofrailway track; transmitting the secret release code to a user terminalvia a network; receiving the secret release code via the network; andresponsive to receiving the secret release code from the terminal,removing the block from the one or more sections of railway track. 31.The method of claim 30, wherein the block is placed via an interlockingsignal prohibiting trains from traversing the one or more sections ofrailway track.
 32. The method of claim 30, wherein the railway trafficcontrol apparatus is configured to place the block by causing one ormore of the plurality of railway traffic interlocks to display a STOPsignal.
 33. The method of claim 30, wherein only the railway trafficcontrol apparatus and the user terminal receive the secret release codegenerated by the railway traffic control apparatus.
 34. The method ofclaim 30, further comprising: storing the secret release code in amemory of the railway traffic control apparatus.
 35. The method of claim30, further comprising: generating and storing block removal informationin response to removing the block from the one or more sections ofrailway track.
 36. The method of claim 35, wherein the block removalinformation comprises a date and time when the block was removed andidentification information of a user who entered the secret removalcode.
 37. The method of claim 30, wherein transmitting the secretrelease code comprises transmitting a message to the user terminal, themessage comprising one or more embedded links.
 38. The method of claim37, wherein the secret release code is transmitted via the network inresponse to selection of at least one of the one or more embedded linksin the message, on the user terminal, and is received by the railwaytraffic control apparatus.
 39. The method of claim 37, wherein themessage comprises a text message or an email.
 40. A system comprising: arailway control apparatus comprising a processor and a memory device,the railway control apparatus configured to communicate with a pluralityof railway traffic interlocks and a user terminal via a network and toperform centralized control of traffic of a centrally controllablerailway network including plural railways and the plurality of railwaytraffic interlocks dispersed in said plural railways constituting saidrailway network, wherein the processor is configured by execution ofcomputer program instructions to cause the railway control apparatus to:receive a selection of track sections to block in any of said pluralrailways constituting said railway network that is managed bycentralized control operation from the railway control apparatus,wherein each selected track section corresponds to one or more railwaytraffic interlocks amongst the plurality of railway traffic interlocksdispersed in said plural railways constituting said railway network;responsive to receiving the selection, generate a secret code associatedwith the selected track sections; responsive to generating the secretcode, save the secret code in the memory device; associate the secretcode with a remote user of the user terminal; transmit a block signal tothe corresponding one or more railway traffic interlocks to place ablock on the selected track sections; and transmit the secret code tothe remote user of the user terminal.
 41. The system of claim 40,wherein the processor configured by execution of computer programinstructions additionally causes the railway control apparatus to:receive the secret code from the user terminal via the network; verifythe secret code by comparing the secret code received from the userterminal with the secret code stored in the memory device; receive aninstruction to remove the block from the selected track sections, afterverifying the secret code; and responsive to the instruction to removethe block received after verifying the secret code, transmit a blockremoval signal to the corresponding railway traffic interlocks.